Thanks to all for the kind reviews. It certainly will get more interesting ... Look out for a preview of a future chapter below! Anyway, I hope you'll stick with me and continue to review. This is the first time I've written anything in a while, so I hope I'll improve once I get back into the swing of it, as it were.

Enjoy...

Disclaimer:

I own nothing which you recognise from Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean. Historical references and persons (such as Edward Low) are from books and internet sites. Tess Ella O'Sedna / Shade, Peter and Jonathan Stealer, Celia Whiteside and Michael Calico are characters created by me and thus belong solely to me.

UNDER LASS SHADE

Chapter 2 : Gimme The Hat Back!

My name, my full name, is Tess Ella O'Sedna. My Mother was Irish and both Tess and O'Sedna are names that belonged to her. The only Irish woman I've ever met who I became close to was Mags, one of the whores of The Patched Paw, and she had a tangle of bright red hair and pale blue eyes. I look nothing like that. Instead, my hair is straight, dark and long, and my eyes are a milky dark green. My pale complexion and freckles are perhaps the only thing that may give away my Irish heritage, apart from my dirty mouth. It took Celia an entire year to tame my speech, and even after that I still preferred to lapse back into swearing and poor grammar.

I started out as Tess O'Sedna ... then changed my name to Ella Shade, Shade being the English interpretation of my surname. Right now, I intend to make Tess Shade the name I carry. Tortuga will be unlikely to recognise me without my infamous surname- my Mother had been quite the talented whore whilst alive, and I want to keep my head down, watch 'em all for a bit. Wait for Sparrow to stumble onto Tortuga again and then plan my revenge. And what exactly had the man done to make me despise him so? What he did to everyone, of course, crossing and double crossing, tricking, exploiting, taking advantage. He'd given the impression of caring; watching out for me, letting me onboard his ship. Being the naive child that I was I trusted him implicitly, even believing that my frequent use as a decoy to other ships and other men was equal payment for his care.

It had been Jack who'd presented me to Jonathan Stealer when I was twelve. At the time his sudden rejection of me and his failure to stop the men half dragging me to 'safety' away from my home had been utterly baffling. But my time in England had taught me more of men's cruelty and how they never take something for nothing, and now I knew he'd made a deal with Stealer. An entirely dependent 12-year-old who was beginning to refuse her duties if she saw no reason for doing them and was not earning her keep was useless to the captain of Te Black Pearl. Ever the opportunist, Jack traded me. He got rid of a child, and gained gold, and Jonathan Stealer got a wife for his son and recognition as my 'saviour.' I have no idea what price I went for. What I do know is that for some reason, I was worth being paid for, worth the trouble of being escorted back to England. Until two months ago, Peter's father kept an incredibly close eye on me, apparently terrified I'd try to run away. Am I really as precious as that close watch seemed to suggest? I mean, I was a dirty - mouthed little girl with a whore for a mother and a pirate for a father. What worth could I possibly possess? The image of Captain Jack Sparrow watching me with his arms folded as I was hauled over someone's shoulder, kicking and screaming, and carried out of The Patched Paw is one I shall never forget. And I will never forgive him for as long as I live.

To my utter disgust, I felt my throat dry up and my head begin to ache as tears pricked the backs of my eyes. Angrily, I brushed my wrist across them and pulled my long hair back tightly. If I wanted a swift passage to Tortuga I would need to look like the sort of man who would wish to go there. And that meant first off, no crying.

"Dirty fucken' scallywag," I muttered, reaching behind me to loosen the embroidered corset. Mr Sparrow was certainly in for it. Little did I realise how quickly I would have the opportunity to do so.

"So the lass is bloody married now." Jack paced the floor of his room at The Boar's Head, Falmouth's busiest. Well this really mucked up his plans. If he stood to gain anything from his latest 'arrangement' he needed Tess to be in Tortuga. She didn't have to come with him, he could pretend he'd brought her there, but only if she was there to begin with. Marriage was a tie, not only to a person but if you were a woman, to the place your husband wanted to be. Or the place he wanted you to be.

"I've been doin' some questionin' though Jack ... seems her Peter has gone off in a ship! An' I don't think she's a-plannin' on stayin' 'ere." Gibbs paused for dramatic effect before continuing. "No, if I'm readin' this right, Tess'll be in Tortuga faster than us, mark my words."

Jack stopped his pacing, back to Gibbs, hand tugging on the beaded strands of his beard as though in deep thought. Already parched (though he'd had plenty of rum already), Gibbs wasn't intending on wasting too much time on a girl who (he was sure) would soon be in his captain's keep, and Jack's deliberation and silence was making him somewhat uneasy.

"Well let's go get ourselves a drink or two before our journey back, eh? What say you?"

"Ay Gibbs." Jack's troubled expression faded into his trademark grin. "A drink and a bit o' company'll do us good. I'll be yer company, and you can buy me a drink for me trouble!"

Gibbs, brain already somewhat addled from the rum in his hip flask, agreed in a state of confusion and stumbled down the stairs, straight into Rosie-Lee, plump mischevious barmaid of The Boar's Head.

"'Ere Joshamee, what you were syaing gave me a bit of trouble. The girl you asked about - Ella Shade? Well 'er 'Father - in - Law' is here, and he says that he most certainly is not. It seems they're lovers, not husband and wife." She glanced past Gibbs' shoulder into the shadows up the steep wooden stairs. Jack could be made out, leaning against the wall, dark eyes glinting in the light. He smiled slowly, flashing the gold in his teeth.

"Well well well, the girl certainly ain't lost 'er knack for lyin'. Shame on you Gibbs, you should've been able to tell."

A loud crash followed by a good deal of shouting made Rosie move closer into the doorway. "Listen, the gentleman Jonathan Stealer is still here and he'll think you're here for stealing his girl back."

"I am." Jack replied. "Why else would I have held back me guns and gone to the bother of a bit o' socialising?"

"Never mind that. What I mean is get going. If he catches sight of you he'll be straight back home making sure Miss Shade isn't intending on going anywhere. And between you and me, she were plannin' on going back there anyways. So make yourselves scarce or you won't ever see her again." The barmaid motioned towards a door at the back of the staircase. "Leave that way and go back to your ship. If she's left Falmouth in a day or two I'll send word to Tortuga. Then you can look for her."

Gibbs grinned and, Jack in tow, rounded the foot of the stairs. "Thank 'ee Rose, your kindness won't go forgotten."

Her voice falling to a whisper now, Rosie jostled the men out of the door. "I don't know what your purpose with Miss Shade is, but I know she ain't happy here. She's a good soul. I trust you'll look after her Jack."

Jack was already walking away, but tilted his head and paused in his step. "Ay I'll take care of her." He lowered his voice then and sighed. "If she'll bloody let me."

Belongings packed and breasts bound, I strode along the street with my head down, looking every inch the young sailor boy. I had no time to stop and think of Pete right now or the life I was leaving behind. It would have been safe and comfortable, I know, but safe and comfortable is not what I want. I was taking the cobbled back streets, slick with rain from the earlier storm in order to avoid any soul, especially those of The Pearl's crew. The sky was dark and the rain-saturated clouds ghosting across the moon's pale surface caused strange reflections in the puddles, turning them into pools of mercury. The Pearl would be glorious in this light. This was weather that belonged to her, that preceeded her arrival, yet I knew that tonight she was already here.

I looked up, half startled as a couple of men fell out of a doorway across the street. I glanced across and quickly wished I hadn't. The restraint it took to prevent myself from marching across the street and swinging my fist into Sparrow's face was immense, but it would ruin everything I had planned, not least the passage I was going to steal with his ship. Though I detested the thought of being on a ship controlled by that man, if I was hidden and no one knew I was there then he couldn't control me. I'd given in to my own vow, but it was the fastest passage to Tortuga and once I'd planned to go back every day spent in England was tedious torture. I pulled the tricorn lower over my face - how ironic that it had belonged to Jack - and twisted my hands deeper into the pockets of my brown leathers, adopting a walk that I hoped was somewhat manly.

"Ay I'll take care of her." I heard Jack call before the door he'd come through swung shut, collecting the amber light it had released and trapping it back inside.

My insides curled tightly, seeking some warm from within. Jack was every inch the bastard, yet his voice reminded me painfully of the life I'd lived on Tortuga. It was such a relief to know that I was now headed back there, and nothing would get in my way if I could help it. But take care of who, exactly? I snorted at the thought it could possibly be me. Jack's interpretation of 'care' was rather different to most, and never would I let that man 'take care' of me again. 'Care' was not a concept Jack comprehensively understood. A dank foreboding wrapped it's arms round my belly- if Jack had been talking about me, then my marriage plan had failed. Oh well, no time to think of that now. I had to reach The Black Pearl and find my place to hide before Jack or Gibbs could realise.

Standing at his ship's wheel at the hour of darkness, hands in place upon hips, Jack began to laugh. A deep throaty chuckle ended in a sigh as he turned round to face Gibbs, who wore an expression of vexation so extreme his overtly furry eyebrows had all but concealed his eyes.

" ... Cap'n?"

"She's here already. Made our job several leagues easier, Gibbs." Jack twisted his latest adornment around his finger, still grinning. He liked this one in particular. A trinket acquired from Tia Dalma always had some sort of interesting use beyond a pretty bauble, and this gilded ring was no exception. So far, it seemed to tell him when certain things were near. Only particular things. Jack had yet to work out the category title for these things, but to his mind it was very useful that the girl who was to prove an excellent item for trade was listed amongst them. Within moments his feet were testing out the damp wood of the hold as he sang loudly of an insatiable need for rum. Tottering deliriously, the Captain reached and grabbed at a bottle before standing straight upright, all pretence at intoxication gone.

"Well I'll be having me hat back back for starters."

Crouched and painful, I instantly slid my pistol from my boot and cocked it as I heard Jack's voice. He yanked me to my feet harshly and with a closed fist knocked the pistol out of my hands.

"And there'll be no shootin' of the Captain."

I reached for my sword but once more, too late. Jack had both of my hands in his and he twisted them, cracking the delicate bones of my wrist and locking them together behind my back. I tried my last defence and jolted my head back as hard as I could, letting myself go limp as the back of my skull collided with the top of a tensed chest. It was no use - I had no room to fight and no energy to try anything else.

"You don't find it easy to keep to yer promises do ye, lass? Even those made to yourself."

My teeth gritted, every muscle tense once more as I waited for my brain to start firing and come up with some options, I struggled to understand how he would know what vows I had made to myself.

"You traded me!" I hissed and bucked, trying to loosen his grip.

"You stole from me." The reply was almost lazy, my efforts rendered entirely useless.

"That was my mothers! It was mine by right!"

"You have no idea what it is that rightfully belongs to you, least of all that of yer mothers. You never knew her." His voice still retained an air of indignant authority over me, as if he was still supposed to be my guardian. I was no longer a child to be lorded over, controlled; it was my duty to take care of anything my mother left behind, and Jack's words instilled a bitterness that wired my veins and caused a bout of bucking and twisting as I struggled to free myself.

Jack's grip remained as steadfast as ever, but his words were more gentle now. "She gave that to me right before she died, y'know."

Every part of me went limp. That was not something he had ever told me before. "What?"

At my gasp and lax limbs, Jack released my wrists and I twisted round to look up into the dark face. It had been a while since I'd had those features staring back at me. As a child I'd made a game out of gazing at Jack's face just to watch his expressions change, and it was difficult to renounce old comfort now and remember the anger I was supposed to feel.

"I never told you before, you were too young then. But you're not a child anymore luv, and besides I want it back." Ever full of a trace of stubbornness.

I rotated my wrists slowly, letting the blood flow to my cold fingers. As a pleasant tingling ensued, I gazed back up at him again. "I thought a pirate killed my mother."

"Ay, a pirate did indeed kill 'er." Jack turned then and headed towards the ladder where his lantern still hung, casting a safe circle of gold over the bottom rungs, a sense of finality in his sentence. It was a subject he didn't want to broach right now, but since when did I care about what Jack did or didn't want!

"Well who? If you were there when she died, then you must know who killed her! Who was it Jack? I deserve to know!"

"You deserve to know nothing." Back to being treated like the twelve-year-old he was used to. A hate flared up again, but one that threatened to manifest itself in tears rather than violent action. This time I held my tongue and let my mind ask questions to myself. If Jack was there ... surely ... did he kill the pirate that killed my mother? Or let the bastard live? What cruelty could exist in a man who would kill a woman with child?

A new possibility arose slowly testing the boundaries of my self belief. Jack's secrecy and desire to keep information about my mother suggested something that I wasn't wholly prepared to believe. Sick rose into the back of my nose and throat and I gagged, gripping my throat with one hand in an effort to stem the flow.

Of all the things Captain Jack Sparrow could do, I couldn't believe he would kill a woman.

Could he? Really? What do you reckon?!

Please keep reviewing - I love you, you know that.

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